State of Children in Alabama

08 Sep State of Children in Alabama

Each year, approximately 40,000 children in Alabama are court-ordered to see and spend time with one of their parents 4 – 6 days per month. These children have a parent taken from them, but the child and the parent did not do anything wrong. The perception within society is that the court considers the best interests of the child and makes these decisions for the greater good, and the child and the parent often feel very helpless. The court has been doing this for more than 40 years, and it is clear that judges and attorneys do not know another way to manage child custody. This is simply what they are used to doing and what they find easiest because it is what they know. Interestingly, the social science data now shows that this is possibly the most destructive thing that the court could do to a child—to take one of his or her parents without a valid reason. A child of divorce or separated parents spends a lifetime trying to overcome the loss and deficit of the absent parent. Download State of Children in Alabama

Did you know?

According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Alabama ranked 42nd among the 50 states in overall child well-being based on measures in four categories:

Health

Education

Economic well-being

Family & community

According to Alabama DHR and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services statistics:

63% of youth suicides

75% juvenile drug abuse

85% of youths in prison

71% of school dropouts

71% of teen pregnancies

90% of homeless and runaway children

These percentages are children with limited or no contact with one of their biological parents.

According to Alabama DHR children from father-absent homes are:

5 times more likely to live in poverty

3 times more likely to fail in school

2 to 3 times more likely to develop emotional and behavioral problems

3 times more likely to commit suicide

Tags:

No Comments

Post A Comment

The Alabama Family Rights Association is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization that drives charitable, scientific, and educational initiatives. ALFRA's primary goal is to educate that public and government officials concerning the importance of equal involvement of both fit parents in a child's life.